Network Backup Drive Review

Posted on  by

Backup to network drive has several advantages over USB drives or Cloud storage. Unlike a USB drive, a NAS is “always on” – you don’t have to keep a physical device connected to the computer (and let’s face it, if it’s a laptop, you won’t keep the drive connected at all times). Image backup/Imaging: Images are byte-for-byte snapshots of your entire hard drive (normally without the empty sectors) or partition, and can be used to restore both the operating system and data.

What is Network Drive?

  1. You can backup data to a local drive, an external drive, and a network storage device — and have a choice of making full, differential, or incremental backups. The tool supports file synching, which ensures you don’t lose important files. Various options for scheduling backups are available, like hourly and daily.
  2. A NAS drive that provides shared storage for everyone on your network is ideal for homes that own multiple Macs and mobile devices. Here are the 6 best NAS drives for Mac owners.

A network drive is a storage device often used for business or home. There are many types of shared network resources located on servers, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, networked external hard drives or networked computers.

To access the shared data over network more conveniently, you can create a shortcut of the shared folder by mapping it as a local drive. The drive you mapped is called a network drive, which also needs to be assigned a drive letter. Users can use a network drive to share and store files without consuming local disk space on themselves computer. Therefore, to backup Windows 10 to a network drive could be an ideal choice.

Solutions to Windows 10 Backup to Network Drive

Three ways on how to backup Windows 10 to network drive will be illustrated below. You can choose one of them according to your situation.

There are two built-in tools can help you backup to network drive in Windows 10: Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and File History. The Backup and Restore utility can help backup your system including systems files, applications, files, etc. File History focuses on backing up your personal files. Both support Windows 10 automatic backup to network drive.

Choose Backup and Restore if you want to create system image backup and select File History if you want to backup files/folders. However, it’s possible to meet Windows 10 backup not working problem now and then. In that case, one free third-party backup tool - AOMEI Backupper Standard can help you make it. It supports both system backup and files/folders backup. Please refer to Part 3 to learn more

Method 1: Windows 10 Backup to Network Drive via Backup and Restore

Windows 10 follows Backup and Restore in Windows 7. It can help you create a system image as well as backup your files. When your computer goes wrong, you can perform a system restore to restore your computer to a previous status that works normally.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click Set up backup on the right side.

Step 3. Choose Save on network...

Step 4. Click the Browse and select the backup drive on the network. Then enter your username and password. Click OK.

Step 5. Click Next to continue.

Step 6. Choose whether or not you want Windows to handle everything. If you choose Let me choose, please remember to check Include a system image of drives option.

Step 7. At Review backup settings window, you can click Change schedule to let Windows 10 automatic backup to network drive. Then click Save settings and run the backup.

Note: When the process completes, you will be asked if you want to create a system repair disc which can help to boot your computer. If your computer has an optical drive, you can click Yes to make it. If not, you can also create a system repair disk with your USB flash drive.

How to restore a system image using Backup and Restore?

1. To restore certain files or folders, go to the Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7) > click the Restore my files button.

Network Backup Drive Review

2. To restore the system, go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now. And go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options when your computer restarts, and then click System image recovery.

Method 2: Windows 10 Backup to Network Drive via File History

File History is the primary built-in backup solution in Windows 10 that can help you backup all folders in the user account folder. You can also add other folders according to your needs.

Sql Backup To Network Drive

Step 1. Click Start > Click Settings option > choose Update & security > Click Backup.

Step 2. Click the “+” next to Add a drive and choose network location to store the backup files.

Step 3. Click More options to access Backup options screen where you can set how often File History backs up your files, how long versions are saved and add other folders that need to be backed up.

How to restore the backup files using File History?

If you accidentally delete a file/folder, you can perform Windows 10 File History restore to recover the file/folder. Two methods are available.

1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History > Restore personal files. Browse and find the files you want to restore.

2. To restore a previous version of a file: right-click the file and select Properties and go to the Previous Versions tab > choose a restore point and restore it.

Method 3: Windows 10 Backup to Network Drive via AOMEI Backupper

AOMEI Backupper Standard is one comprehensive and free PC backup tool that can help you backup Windows 10 to network drive.

  • It provides system backup, disk backup, partition backup, file/folder backup.

  • It lets you set Windows 10 automatic backup to network drive. Perform the backup daily/weekly/monthly.

  • It allows you to do Windows 10 incremental backup to network drive as well.

  • It allows you to set internal/external hard dive, USB flash drive, cloud drive, network drive/NAS, etc. as source or target directory. Therefore, you can easily backup Windows 10 to network drive, or vice versa, backup network drive to windows 10.

  • The restore feature of AOMEI Backupper is also amazing. In Professional or higher editions, you can restore system image to different disk type (GPT and MBR) or even another computer with dissimilar hardware. You can a use bootable rescue media or AOMEI PXE Boot tool to perform offline restore.

Before you backup Windows 10 to network drive, make sure you have create a bootable media in order to restore when your system is not working, and you have a network drive shows in File Explorer. As the network drive also has a drive letter, to backup to network drive with AOMEI Backupper is the same as to local partition.

To backup Windows 10 to network drive:

Step 1. Download, install and launch this free network backup software.

Download Freeware

Win 10/8.1/8/7/XP

Secure Download

Step 2. Click System Backup under Backup tab. The software will automatically choose the partitions to be backed up.

Step 3. Click the inverted triangle to select the network drive as destination location. You need to click Add Share or NAS Devices in the popping out window and enter the required information.

Step 4. Then, the program will backup your Windows 10 to specified network drive after clicking Start Backup.

Notes:
1. Click Options to write a comment, set the compression level or enable email notification.
2. Click Schedule to let the backup perform everyday/weekly/monthly.
3. To better manage the backup files, AOMEI Backupper Professional offers Scheme option which can help remove old backup images automatically to free up the storage space. If you are interested in, you can get the free trial version to explore it by yourself.

Besides, AOMEI Backupper allows you to perform windows 10 backup to network shared folder on NAS by enter the Share or NAS path. To backup to NAS, you may also need to enter username and password.

If you want to do it the other way around - backup network drive to Windows 10, just select the source and target directory accordingly.

Conclusion

Now you know how to let Windows 10 backup to network drive. The Backup and Restore utility helps you create a system image as well as make a backup for your files. The File History lets you backup personal files. Or if you choose AOMEI Backupper, it can help you backup system as well as disk, partition or selected files to network drive or NAS.

Besides backup computer to network, there's AOMEI Centralized Backupper allowing you to backup network computers using its centralized management function.

When will you need free network backup software for Windows?

Network storage is not new in work and daily life to the majority of PC users. Shared foldersin LAN and all kinds of NAS are widely applied in computers. These storages bear the burdenof storing data while saving the disk space of local disks. In companies, one shared folderthat could be accessed by every colleague is a good method of transferring documents foradministrators. This also applies in home-sharing network. You store family photos, favoritemusic and interesting movies on the shared folder or NAS and your families can easily reachto them to share the joy and feel the state you’re experiencing. That’s why people wouldlike to backup to network in Windows 7, 8, 10. Nevertheless, where there is data, there isrisk. The protection of network drive cannot be ignored. However, either to backup NAS/Share toPC locally or to external hard drive you will need network backup software forWindows and it is best free.

What’s the best network backup software for Windows 7/8/10?

The network backup software you are digging forWindows 7, 8, 10 should have the following features:

Network Backup Drive Reviews

In the first place, it should support different backup modes like Full Backup, IncrementalBackup, and Differential Backup for you to better manage backups. Secondly, it bettersupports scheduled backup, say backup files in daily, weekly, or monthly mode. So you don’tneed to manually start back up when there are files added or modified. Thirdly, it bettersupports different types of storage devices, such as USB flash drives, Thumb Drives,Hardware RAID, Dynamic Disk etc. Thus, you can successfully backup data to other places.Last but not least, the software should be free of charge even if it has so many mightyfunctions.

AOMEI Backupper Standard is such free network backupsoftware for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, XP, and Windows Vista. It is equipped with all necessarybackup features that as covered before. It also supports FileSync which allows you to synchronize files and folders automatically with a scheduleto local disks, external hard drives, and removable USB flash drives, NAS or other networkshared folders. More importantly, AOMEI Backupper Standard provides password protection forbackups, which brings extra layer of security for your data. Downloadit now to learn how to protect your network drive.

Best Network Backup Drive

Backup network drive using freeware AOMEI Backupper

Step1. Install and launch AOMEI Backupper, and click Backup>File Backup.

Step2. ClickAdd File or Add Folder basedon your situation. Then click Share/NAS.

Step3. Click Add Share or NAS device and put in the pathand username and password if needed.

Wd Backup To Network Drive

Step4. Click to change the destination path that you wish to store thesebackup images. After that, click Start Backup.

Tips:

1.You can set password protection for backups by clickingBackupOptions.

2.Check Schedule box to set daily, weekly, or monthlybackup type.

3.Another method to backup network drive is mapping it to local disk. Learnhow to map network drive in tutorial backup NAS to externalhard drive. After mapping, it will show up as a partition form in Windows Explorer.Yet please note that it is actually a folder instead of partition. Therefore, you still needto use File Backup to back data up in that folder.

Backup Drive For Home Network

To be honest, AOMEI Backupper Standard is excellent network backup software for Windows OSthat is free of charge. As you can see from the screenshots, this backup solution hasembedded with many other practical functions. For example, you can use it to clone hard drive with badsectors and create a bootable rescue media say make Sandisk USBflash drive bootable just in case.